The intestinal absorption mechanism of chicoric acid and its bioavailability improvement with chitosan.

Chicoric acid (CA), an active phenolic acid of , has been demonstrated to exhibit antioxidative, antiviral and immunological activities. A prior study showed that CA is a water-soluble compound with low bioavailability. The current study was performed to study the intestinal absorption mechanism of CA and improve its bioavailability using natural biodegradable chitosan.